Of Merlot and Monopoly
by catherine ampere
Summary: Tony and Ziva forgo a romantic night together to spend it with their niece and nephew.


**Hey there everyone! No, I haven't forgotten about OHJD. I promise. This little story was inspired by the drabble requests I've been sent on Tumblr. My darling Marshmeg requested this, and since I love her so much, I couldn't stop writing and thus, a one-shot was born.**

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><p>"I'm putting a hotel on Park Place. Which means I win."<p>

Ziva and the little girl shared exasperated looks. How many times would they have to explain the rules?

"Uncle Tony," she giggled, "you can't do that. You don't have Boardwalk. Or any houses."

He whined and took the plastic piece off the gameboard.

"Come on, can't I just cheat?"

Ziva gave him a dirty look, but he shrugged and smiled.

"What? She's four. This is Monopoly for kids. How strict do we need to be here?"

"Are you saying that you want to teach Allie how to lie and cheat while she is so young and impressionable?"

Allie looked at Tony with sad eyes and stuck out her bottom lip; it always got her whatever she wanted with her Uncle Tony.

"Don't give me that look, kid," he grumbled. "You already won and you know it."

She threw her arms triumphantly in the air and high-fived Ziva. Allie's honey colored hair swung in their pigtails as she did a victory dance.

"I won, I won..." She danced around some more until she remembered an earlier promise. "Aunt Ziva, can I have ice cream now?"

Ziva sighed. It still surprised her that children had such good memories.

"Sure, tatelah. Uncle Tony will get you a bowl."

He threw Allie on his back as they walked to the kitchen.

"Uncle Tony, don't drop me!" she squealed. "Don't drop me!"

He feigned shock.

"Now, would I let my one and only goddaughter fall?"

He lowered himself and pretended to drop her. When Allie's laughter got too loud, he flipped her over his shoulders and put her down in front of the fridge.

"Chocolate or vanilla tonight?"

While she mulled it over, her brow furrowed just like her father's. Tony couldn't help but smile.

"Both."

"Good choice," he winked.

They ate their ice cream together and watched a movie. When Allie finally fell asleep, Ziva placed her on her bed in the other bedroom and tucked her in. She hoped the little girl wouldn't have another nightmare; Allie had accidentally watched the last five minutes of a movie she wasn't supposed to when her father had friends over.

When she returned, Ziva found Tony in the living room uncorking a bottle a wine. She smiled tiredly.

"We are still going to celebrate then, yes?"

He patted the spot next to him on the couch and pulled the blanket up for her.

"Of course we are! We may not have much time left, but we'd better make the most of it anyway. I give it," he looked down at his watch, "another half hour before the wailing starts."

Ziva wasted no time; she molded against his side with ease and rested her head in the crook of his shoulder. She swirled the wine in her glass and inhaled the bouquet; it was her favorite, and she couldn't help but sigh contentedly.

"This may be the finest bottle of wine the world has ever seen."

"I don't think the world will ever see it, Sweet Cheeks," he joked, "since you bought the entire case."

She shrugged.

"More for me."

They got to enjoy a half hour of uninterrupted adult time before the sound of crying filled the apartment, right on schedule.

"My turn," Tony sighed as he jumped off the couch.

Ziva laughed. Minutes later, Tony returned with a sleepy-eyed toddler who wasn't quite ready to spend the night on his own yet.

"Look who's up and ready for action," Tony grinned sarcastically.

Ziva held out her arms and the boy automatically reached for her. She took him expertly in her lap and rubbed her thumb along his cheek.

"Are you alright, my love?"

He nodded and curled himself into her, resting his head on her heart.

"I think he just wanted company," Ziva smiled. "You better put the wine away."

"Nope!" he protested. "We're finishing this bottle no matter what."

She raised an eyebrow and rubbed the little boy's back.

"And what will Jimmy say when he finds out that we got drunk while watching his children?"

Tony shrugged.

"He'll understand. He's the one that stuck us on babysitting duty when we were supposed to be celebrating our anniversary."

"Jimmy cannot help that Breena's father," she hissed, "well, _you know_."

They didn't want to alarm Jack so they refrained from mentioning his grandfather's heart attack, despite the fact that he'd now fallen back to sleep on Ziva's lap.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled. "I know."

Tony watched the rest of their movie while Ziva fell asleep beside him. Jack's little body sprawled across them, and Tony found that rubbing his back while he slept was not only soothing for Jack but also for him. He felt his eyelids drop and was ready to succumb to a sexless, but still nice evening when Allie's screams began.

He jolted off the couch and did his best not to wake Ziva and Jack.

"Another nightmare, Allie cat?"

She nodded and allowed her uncle to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Do you want to sleep with us tonight?"

She nodded once more and hugged his neck. He placed her in their bed and after a few minutes of solemn reassurance that he'd be right back, he left to get Ziva.

Tony couldn't help but stare at she and Jack; she looked so peaceful holding the little boy who adored the very ground she walked on. He hoped that it wouldn't be long before they had one of their own, but they'd had problems in the past conceiving. Their painful miscarriage the year before had left Ziva practically unwilling to try again. He knew not to push her, but he wasn't getting any younger, and he desperately wanted a child. He knew she did, too, but she'd never dealt with loss well. He wasn't sure she could handle another one.

She groaned as he nudged her, but she opened her eyes the minute he took Jack from her grasp.

"Time for bed," Tony whispered. "Allie's sleeping with us, too."

Ziva nodded sleepily and followed behind him. She leaned against the door frame and watched him tuck Jack in with all the care and love in the world. Her heart twinged with the pang of both loss and yearning. In that instant, she'd made up her mind.

She climbed into bed and lifted her arm; Allie automatically turned into her, seeking her aunt's comfort. Tony framed the other side of the bed, and Jack curled himself right between his uncle and sister. Ziva picked her head up and tapped Tony on the shoulder.

"Tony," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"I know what I would like for my anniversary."

He raised an eyebrow.

"It's over already," he joked. "You missed your chance."

She ignored his good-natured ribbing in favor of confessing; she was worried she'd let fear overcome her again and lose her nerve to admit the truth.

"I would like...to start trying again."

Tony's brain registered her request and an exuberant smile spread across his face.

"Really?" he asked, desperately trying to hide his hopefulness.

She nodded.

"Really."

He reached over the kids and kissed her. She momentarily forgot about her niece and nephew as she kissed him back feverishly. She moaned into the kiss, and finally caught herself when Allie giggled.

"That's gross, you guys."

"Just you wait, Allie," Tony laughed. "One day that'll be you and Liam smooching like that."

The thought of kissing Liam McGee made her face scrunch up and she shuddered. She hated boys. Except her brother, of course. Ziva sensed the little girl's discomfort and suddenly felt mischievous.

"Allie and Liam..." she sang, "sitting in a tree."

Tony wagged his eyebrows and joined in.

"K-I-S-S-"

He was interrupted by a tiny fist to his gut.

"Oof!"

Allie found her uncle's reaction hysterical. Ziva couldn't help but laugh along with her, and soon Jack started laughing, too. Tony huffed.

"Oh yeah, you think that's funny?"

He reached over and tickled Allie and Jack at the same time. Ziva helped, and soon the four of them were laughing so hard that tears streamed down their face.

It may have not been the most romantic of their anniversaries, but both Tony and Ziva agreed that it was their most fun. And the next year, when they celebrated in the hospital with day-old Asher, they both agreed that it was their most special. Screw romance, they decided. They had it every other day of the year. Their anniversaries would always be celebrated with laughing children and unfinished bottles of wine.

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><p><strong>No, I <em>didn't<em> spend a half hour looking through baby websites for cool Hebrew names...**

**In case you're wondering, Asher means "blessed." He was one of Jacob's sons and the ancestor of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. **

**And as always, let me know what you think!**


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